As State Witness Faces Through Cross-Examination From Defense Lawyers
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia—The Liberian government’s first witness in the Capitol Building arson case, Rafael Wilson’s testimony has been characterized by twist and turn as he goes through the cross-examinations.
Witness Wilson has admitted that defendant John Nyanti was kept at a local hotel on the RIA road in order to testify on behalf of the state but said that negotiation failed after some weeks.
The prosecution witness maintained that defendant Nyanti was arrested in Ghana through the help of the Ghanaian police and brought to Liberia in order to serve as state witness and he was kept at a local hotel to avoid external interaction with members of the public.
In most instances, he barely confirmed some of the defendants he claimed investigated statements.
The witness was further asked by the defense lawyer on the cross examination to confirm whether it was defendant Nyanti who personally wrote his statement and signed it at the police station? In answering said, witness Wilson said, he cannot confirm whether or not it was Nyanti who wrote and signed his own statement because it was another police officer who interrogated him and signed to where officer should sign.
Continuing his cross examination, Cllr. Johnson asked, it appears like you were not present when Nyanti made the statement. Am I correct? Witness Wilson responded, when you look at the statement form, the officer’s name is written on it.
“Since can’t confirm whether or not Nyanti wrote the statement, who wrote the statement, who the hired that represented Nyanti”? He answered that the lawyer who represented defendant Nyanti came from the public defense
Were his constitutional rights protected during the investigation? Constitutional rights such as right to phone call, right to lawyer, right to contact family and friends and right to remain silent. Mr. Wilson affirmed that his constitutional rights were observed during the course of the investigation but failed to state whether the defendant was firstly taken to NSA to investigate before taking him to the police.
However, the witness is facing a thorough cross-examination from the defense lawyer, Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson.